FB/LB Andre
Bowden has scored nine touchdowns in the last three games and leads
the Storm with three sacks, in spite of not having joined the team until
July. Photo by Chris Arnold.

Kicking Off...

Tampa Bay and San Jose finish the regular season by meeting for the second
time ever. The SaberCats have clinched a playoff spot by virtue of six
wins in their last seven games, a streak that started when Scott Wood was
inserted at quarterback in place of starter John Kaleo. Wood led the
SaberCats to a comeback 37-31 overtime win over Iowa in that game and has
been firmly in command since. The Storm will be looking to wrap up a
playoff spot. With a win, the Storm will qualify as the sixth seed. If the
Storm loses, they can still qualify as the eighth seed if Albany loses at
Iowa on Saturday night.

SaberCats to Watch...

QB Scott Wood - With 7:15 left in the SaberCats' game
at Iowa on June 14, San Jose trailed 31-17. The SaberCats looked a sure
bet to fall to 2-5 and become one of the league's also-rans for the second
consecutive season. Then, everything turned around. Wood---who had
replaced starter John Kaleo after he had run up ten interceptions in just
over six games---led the SaberCats two touchdown drives to tie the score
at the end of regulation. He finished off the come-from-behind shocker
with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Titus Dixon 7:56 into the overtime
period. San Jose hasn't been the same since, winning six of seven. Kaleo
was traded less than a week later for WR/LB Jai Hill, who himself has
turned into a solid contributor. But Wood was the story. A backup last
year to Tony Kimbrough, he watched as the SaberCats bypassed him
after Kimbrough suffered a knee injury. San Jose traded for Ben Bennett
and John Kaleo in an attempt to fill the signal-caller hole, not realizing
that the right man for the job was on the bench all along. He's thrown for
1,442 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, and looks to have the starting
job---finally---until the hoped-for return of Kimbrough next season.

OS Steve Papin - Like when the Storm benched offensive
specialist George
LaFrance last week, the SaberCats made an equally momentous decision
by starting the newcomer Papin in the place of incumbent Titus Dixon.
Dixon was still in reasonable playing shape, but due to a nagging left
hamstring injury, had lost a step compared to previous seasons. Papin
has justified the move, scoring as many touchdowns in four games played as
Dixon did in ten games (13). Papin is also averaging 7.5 catches and 108
yards receiving per game, as well as 20.3 yards per kickoff return. "He's
really dangerous off the net and as a return guy," Marcum said. "He
contributes real toughness---he just runs up and is hell-bent for leather.
They get the ball to him a lot on screens, and he's dangerous off them,
too."

DS Pat McGuirk - An original SaberCat, he has led the
SaberCats in tackles for all three years of the franchise's hitory. This
year he has notched 53 total tackles, 39 of them unassisted. He is also
tied for second on the team with three interceptions, which happens to be
the only category that McGuirk's numbers have dropped off in this year. In
1995 he had nine picks and last year he intercepted seven passes. However,
when he has made picks this year, he's made them count, especially last
weekend at Portland. With 45 second left, he intercepted a Bob Stockham
pass with 45 seconds left in the 'Cats' end zone to preserve a 40-34 win.

DS Herschel Currie - San Jose's other defensive
specialist, he has become a master of theivery, intercepting seven passes
in just nine games played. Currie was not on the team in the preseason,
and didn't step into the lineup until mid-May. However, he has proved to
be a capable compliment to McGuirk, and together they have helped the
SaberCats post the third-ranked pass defense in the league.

Noting the SaberCats...

Changes Do Them Good - There are two SaberCats teams in
1997. The first went 2-4 in Weeks One through Six, had the fourth-worst
scoring defense in the league and had allowed 59 or more points in three
straight games. Since then, the 'Cats have allowed a league-best 30.7
points per game, and have not given up more than 36 points in any one
game. Most reflective of this defensive success was their performance
against New Jersey on June 27. Although they lost 24-22, the SaberCats'
defense held the Red Dogs to 67 fewer points than they had scored just one
week earlier in a record-breaking 91-62 win over Texas.

Stats Corner - The SaberCats are all D: They rank second
in the league in sacks (18), second in first downs allowed (176), third in
passing yards allowed per game (215.4) and third in total defense (232.3
yards allowed per game). Offensively, they are not as productive, ranking
11th in scoring offense (39.5 points per game), 12th in yards per game
(241.3), 12th in passing yardage per game (213.2) and tenth in first downs
(196).

Noting the Storm...

Kellogg's Progress - Last Thursday the Storm signed WR/LB
Jack Kellogg, a 6-1, 190-pound AFL rookie from Eastern Washington. "He's
doing well," Marcum said. "Now he's finding a home, and it looks like he's
going to fit in to the lineup well." When asked if Kellogg would be
activated for Saturday's game, Marcum answered: "Possibly."

Statistically Speaking - Tampa Bay's offense is sixth in
the league in first downs with 214, but is 12th in points per game (37.7)
and 11th in total yardage (245.7 yards per game)...The Storm's turnover
average of minus-seven ranks 11th in the league...Tampa Bay's pass defense
is first in the league, allowing just 191.2 yards per contest...The
Storm's 24.4 rushing yards per game is sixth in the league...QB Peter Tom
Willis must throw two fewer interceptions than Anaheim's John Kaleo
this week to avoid the dubious distinction of holding the AFL's single
season interception record. Willis has thrown 19; Kaleo, the former
SaberCat, has 21...FB/LB Les
Barley needs just two rushing yards to get 900 for his career...Willis
needs one more touchdown pass to get 40 for the season...OS Wayne Walker
has averaged 1.3 touchdowns per game in three games with the Storm...FB/LB
Andre
Bowden has scored an average of three rushing touchdowns per game in
the last three weeks.

Making the Switch - Last week marked the first
time since 1988 that Marcum has started someone other than George
LaFrance at offensive specialist as Wayne Walker manned the spot for
the first time since joining the Storm earlier this month. By all
indications, LaFrance---who now lines up at WR/DB for one offensive
possession per quarter---has taken it well. "George is a pro," Marcum
said. "He's just going to do what he's supposed to do." Walker contributed
200 total yards in last week's win over Florida, which meant that the
decision obviously was a wise one. Nevertheless, it's always hard when the
time comes to sit down one of the greatest players in AFL history. "It was
a tough decision to make, but I do that a lot. That's why they call me
coach," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Injury Front - DS Tracy
Sanders missed Wednesday's practice due to a sprained right ankle. He
spent the practice with his ankle soaked in a Gatorade bucket filled
with ice. He is officially listed as questionable but admitted that he
doesn't expect to play...It's not due to an injury, but DS Tracey Perkins' status is up in the
air. His grandfather died earlier this week and the funeral is Saturday.
If Perkins flies to Houston to attend the funeral, then he will not play
against the SaberCats...Lineman Willie
Wyatt also spent Wednesday's practice on the sidelines, riding the
team exercise bike behind the Ice Palace bench. He is suffering from back
pain and his status is also up in the air...Still on injured reserve are
WR/DB Larry
Kennedy (hamstring), lineman Michael Thornton (ankle), FB/LB
Cedric McKinnon (shoulder) and
WR/DB Walter Sutton (hamstring).

From the Mouth of Marcum...

On the Importance of the Game... - "If you have to be
told how important this game is, you're not in the right business."

On the SaberCats... - "Since they replaced
Kaleo, they're not the same team. They've won six out of the last seven,
and that tells it all about what Scott Wood means to that football team."

On The Lack of TV Coverage... - "We have an agreement
with Sunshine [Network] for five games. We picked the games about this
time last year or a little later. San Jose was not one of them. We felt
like it would be better for the team to have the games on early so it
would be like a two and a half hour advertisement, so most of our games
were on early in the year."

Series History...

The SaberCats and Storm have only met once---last season at the
ThunderDome.

06/01/96 - Tampa Bay 36, San Jose 22 - It was a
special night in Storm history, punctuated by QB Jay Gruden breaking the
AFL's all-time passing yardage record. Gruden broke the record on a
38-yard touchdown pass to George
LaFrance with 8:45 left in the third quarter. The touchdown only
pulled the Storm within 15-13, though, because San Jose turned in a
dominating first half defensive performance. The SaberCats went into
halftime with a 15-6 lead, holding the Storm to what would be their lowest
one-half total of the season. Then, the Storm went on a tear. First,
Gruden's touchdown pass pulled the Storm within two. 2:33 later, OL/DL
Willie
Wyatt blocked an Aaron Mills field goal out of the end zone for a
safety and a tie game. The Storm got the ball back and scored easily on
their next possession when FB/LB Tony
Jones plowed in from two yards out for a 22-15 lead. The Storm scored
thanks to a SaberCat self-destruction, as 16 of the Storm's 35 yards came
off of San Jose penalties. Two fourth quarter touchdowns stretched the
Storm's run to 30-0 before Darryl Rogers' touchdown run with 23 seconds
left saved a measure of respect for San Jose. Tampa Bay ran their winning
streak to 14 with the win. Box
Score